Arsenal FC: Why Manchester United's defeat against Barcelona Proves That Arsenal are in the Right Path

With a disastrous end to the 2010-11 season, Arsenal fans were hugely disappointed with their club's performance and there has been a lot of negative reactions in the summer from the fans who desperately want to see the club lifting a trophy. Though there are a number of areas on which the Gunners should improve in order to win trophies successfully, they did show that they had the quality to match the top sides in this season unlike recent seasons.

Arsenal's season crumbled after the loss to Birmingham in the Carling Cup final in the closing stages of the game due to a error in communication between the inexperienced duo of Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny. They had to face Barcelona and Manchester United within two weeks from their defeat and before they could recover, they were knocked out of three competitions and their low confidence meant that they could never really produce their best form which saw them challenge the leaders Manchester United till February.

This current Arsenal team clearly lack the leadership on the pitch and it is important in this regard that Thomas Vermaelen has returned to full fitness for the next season. Though the Gunners had a wretched end to the season after the Birmingham game, their performances just before the Final showed that the Gunners are on the right track to win the title.

Last season, they were comprehensively beaten by Chelsea and Manchester United twice and it was fortunate that they managed to draw the game against Barcelona at home despite being outplayed by the Catalans. It has been different this season with the Gunners winning against both Chelsea and United at home as well as beating Barcelona at the Emirates though it required a late fightback by the Gunners.

The EPL title winners Manchester United were dismantled by Barcelona at Wembley and it was a thoroughly deserved win for the Spanish Champions. Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta were rampant as United's midfield could not create much impact against the midfield of Barcelona. Though Rooney managed to find the equalizer at 1-1, Lionel Messi and David Villa ensured that they were victorious for the second time in three years.

It is fair to say that only Arsenal out of all the other teams that played Barcelona in this Champions league gave the Catalan club a run for their money and despite being much better than Arsenal at the Nou Camp, they could have been eliminated but for a poor attempt by Nicklas Bendtner. Despite the season being a failure, the performance against Barcelona at the Emirates shows that the team is moving in the right direction to win trophies.

It was the only game out of the four games in the last two years that Arsenal had a relatively fit squad with only Thomas Vermaelen missing. In the return leg at the Nou Camp, Theo Walcott and Alex Song were two important players missing in the squad and though one cannot moan about injuries, it is undeniable that Walcott's absence gave the license for Barcelona to push forward both their fullbacks.

Arsenal's young prodigy Jack Wilshere was brilliant in the game and was clearly up for the challenge. He did not look out of place playing against stalwarts like Xavi and Iniesta and even managed to create a bigger
impact than captain Fabregas who was not at his best. Wilshere was clearly fatigued towards the end of the season and the decision to not play in the U-21 tournament is important for him and Arsenal.

Wojciech Szczesny is arguably Arsenal's most talented keeper since Jens Lehmann made way for the inconsistent Almunia. Though Szczesny made a crucial error against Birmingham, he showed he has the quality to be a great keeper and his performance against Barca proved that he was not overawed by the situation and made some great saves throughout the game.

Van Persie, who was harshly sent off in the second leg with the game poised on a knife edge, proved again that if he is fit, he has the quality to provide the goals for the Gunners. Though it was poor goalkeeping from Valdes, the Dutchman's accuracy and technique on the volley was integral to the goal being scored from such a tight angle.

Cesc Fabregas was troubled by recurring hamstring injuries throughout the season and he was not at his best in both the Barcelona games. But as most would admit, he is one of the world's best midfielders and should he recover completely from his injuries and stay at Arsenal, he is certainly one of the most important players for the Gunners.

The most important positive from the Barcelona game was the defending by Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny. Though poor concentration from Gael Clichy allowed David Villa to break the offside trap, Koscielny was brilliant in shackling Messi for most of the game. He used his speed to great effect and his tackling was immaculate. With a player of Thomas Vermaelen's experience missing in the heart of the defence, it was great commitment shown by both Djourou and Koscielny.

Though Koscielny has struggled in some games in his first season of the Premiership, he is a player who promises a lot in the future. He is good in the air and though he sometimes makes rash challenges, he is quite good in tackling and will only get better with experience. His biggest asset is his reading of the game and that allows him to make crucial interceptions and he seems to perform better against European oppositions.

Though Djourou looked vulnerable towards the end of season, he had performed quite well since his return to the first team and showed why Arsene Wenger believes in his talent. An injury to the best defender of the club is always likely to be a huge problem for them and Vermaelen's absence for almost the entire season was a huge blow.

There were a number of Arsenal players who emerged with a lot of credit for their performance against Barcelona at the Emirates and while they were ultimately eliminated by the Blaugrana, they showed a lot of fight and were the only team to beat Barcelona in the Champions league. With a number of youngsters performing under pressure for the Gunners this season, it is imperative that Wenger signs some experienced players to provide leadership and direction to the team.

If England's champions can be beaten comprehensively by Barcelona, the Gunners can be proud of their efforts and they were very close to knocking out Barcelona. Though there are many supporters who have branded the youth policy as a total failure, the emergence of many youngsters like Jack Wilshere and Wojciech Szczesny has meant that Arsenal have built a strong squad capable of beating the best at a extremely low price.

Wenger has not made the right signings in the recent past when he has refused to invest money to sign quality players needed to win titles. With the title drought extending to six years this season, he will have to bring in some new players to bolster the squad. Though there are a number of supporters who believe that there should be many changes in the Arsenal team, the Gunners have a strong set of players who can be the future of Arsenal.

Wojciech Szczesny, Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin Van Persie form the current core of the Arsenal team and it does look strong if the players show the fighting attitude required to win titles. Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Alex Song, Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott have the potential to be integral to the team and with a few intelligent signings, Arsenal could have the strongest team in the Premiership.

There has been considerable progress this season from the Gunners and though it has not translated into titles, there has been positives for Arsenal. Though the manager has made mistakes and the team has not shown enough desire this season, it is evident that the Gunners are getting stronger with the youngsters pulling their weight in the team and it is important for the team to translate it to trophies.

Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny: From Brentford to Barcelona to Be Gunners' Saviour

Arsenal's supporters do not feel comfortable when the Gunners take on Stoke City because of their aerial bombardment which has lead to their team conceding goals. The win against Stoke on Wednesday highlighted the determination of the Gunners and Szczesny's performance vindicated the manager's decision in the summer. Arsene Wenger was urged by plenty of supporters to sign a new goalkeeper in order to provide more security at the back.

The Frenchman was content with the quality of his keepers and provided the chance to the error-prone Manuel Almunia at the start of the season. Though he had a strong start to the season, the horror show against West Bromwich Albion and the injury he sustained in that game provided the opportunity for the fringe goalkeepers Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny to make the place their own.

Though Fabianski has had a tough time at Arsenal, the manager has retained a lot of faith in the youngster and has provided the lad with a number of opportunities to show his quality. The Pole who has endured a lot of criticism was nervous in the first few games he started this season but he established himself as the first choice keeper with some very good performances most notably against Wolves, Manchester City and Everton.

Wenger's persistence with these two keepers left the other two keepers Szczesny and Mannone disappointed due to the lack of opportunities in the first team. Mannone has since moved to Hull City on loan while Szczesny remained with the club and started the season as the third choice goalkeeper. Manuel Almunia's injury provided him the opportunity to be the second choice keeper and he got opportunities in the League Cup.

Szczesny has been with the club since 2007 and despite not getting many opportunities at Arsenal, he was regarded as one of the brightest young prospects at the club. With the goalkeeping position a matter of constant discussion amongst critics and supporters, Szczesny was touted by many to be the no. 1 keeper in the future.

He was loaned out to Brentford in the last season and established himself as the first choice keeper for them with a string of superb performances. He was one of the most influential performers for the lower division side and was rightly praised by the then Brentford manager Andy Scott who suggested that he would not be out of place in the Premier League.

He returned to the club in order to stake a claim for the goalkeeping position and though he was promoted ahead of Vito Mannone, he was disappointed with the lack of opportunities due to the manager favoring the more experienced Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski. His disappointment led him to issue an ultimatum that he would not extend his contract beyond this year if he did not get enough opportunities.

He subsequently calmed down and signed a new long term contract to the relief of supporters who had belief that he could go on to be the first choice keeper. Fabianski had done very well this season and it was very unfortunate for him to be injured during warm-up for the game against Manchester City. He did play the match securing a clean sheet but the injury to his shoulder required surgery which ruled him out for the season.

Szczesny who had made his Premier League debut weeks earlier against Manchester United in front of a hostile crowd at Old Trafford was given the opportunity to start games on a regular basis. The Pole has since started many Premier League games and has not looked out of place in the Premiership. He has shown great reflexes and has ensured that Fabianski has not been missed by the Gunners.

The most impressive attribute about the youngster is his confidence in his abilities which is extremely important for being successful. The goalkeeper's huge frame and strength allows him to command his area which has greatly helped the Gunners in dealing with aerial bombardment as was the case against Stoke. The youngster seems undaunted by the task in front of him and it is clear that Wenger has a lot of faith in the keeper providing him opportunities despite the return of Almunia.

Arsenal goalkeepers generally come under greater scrutiny for mistakes than any other goalkeepers and it was imperative that Szczesny did not make errors in the first few games. However, his assured and dominating performances in the last few weeks has most people convinced that he is the Arsenal goalkeeper for the next decade.

Szczesny seems unfazed by the challenges in front of him as he showed in the game against Barcelona where he had to face the threat of the world's best strikers in Lionel Messi and David Villa. He made a couple of superb saves to keep Arsenal in the hunt and his anticipation was excellent throughout the game. Though he could not claim a clean-sheet, it was another assured performance by the youngster who has made the astonishing transition of Brentford to Barcelona within a year.

He will be between the sticks for the Carling Cup final which the Gunners hope to conquer to end their long wait for a trophy. Wembley and the Nou Camp awaits the Polish International who could be the answer to Arsenal's goalkeeping conundrum for the next decade.

This article is also featured on The Invincible Gunners, a blog on Arsenal and other football news

Arsenal Future Goalkeepers: Fabianski, Szczesny, Mannone and Wenger's Masterstoke

Arsenal were linked with a number of goalkeepers in the summer including the likes of Mark Schwarzer and Shay Given and most of the Arsenal supporters were let down by the manager Arsene Wenger's decision to not sign an experienced goalkeeper. The Arsenal manager installed the inconsistent Manuel Almunia as the first choice keeper at the start of the season.

Though he had few decent games, his horrendous performance against West Bromwich Albion cost Arsenal vital points in the Premiership and he has been injured since then. Lukasz Fabianski had a terrible time last season where he was responsible for a number of goals and a large section of the supporters wanted the Polish keeper to be sold during the summer.

Almunia's horrible performance and his injury provided Fabianski the chance to start games on a regular basis. Kieran Gibbs conceded a penalty against Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League and the Polish International saved it. It proved to be a turning point in his career as he has been excellent since then.

Lukasz Fabianski

Wenger has always maintained that Fabianski had the talent to be a world class keeper but until this season, it was hard to see why the manager backed him to the extent he did. Fabianski has grown in confidence and has been excellent in many games so far. Like any other goalkeeper in the league, he also makes the odd mistake (which is unfairly criticized by many) but he has had a consistent season and has been responsible in bringing stability to the defence.

He is still young and there are aspects he can improve on but he has shown that he is capable of being the first choice goalkeeper for the Gunners in the future. His confidence has been important for the Gunners and the defenders are relying on him to help them out when needed and there are signs that he is capable of commanding his back line though he has to improve his communication with the defenders and be more decisive.

He has won over many Arsenal supporters who doubted his potential and has been immense this season for the Gunners including some Man of the Match performances. However he has also been injured this season which would normally have presented the Gunners with a huge problem. Arsenal have not suffered despite the injuries to Fabianski and Almunia mainly due to the confident presence of Polish youngster Wojciech Szczesny.

Wojciech Szczesny

Szczesny had a impressive loan spell with Brentford in the Championship and he was determined to fight for his place in the Arsenal team this season. The tall goalkeeper was initially quoted to be unhappy with Arsenal and Wenger for not providing him enough opportunities in the three seasons he has been at the club.

But the Polish youngster was convinced by the experienced manager that he had a future at Arsenal and signed a long term contract with the club. He has subsequently made a number of appearances for the club and has shown that he is one of the brightest young prospects in world football. Szczesny made his Premier League debut against Manchester United at Old Trafford which is arguably the toughest fixture in the season for the Gunners and performed admirably under immense pressure in front of a hostile crowd.

He is a hugely confident lad who believes he must start games regularly which is the attitude that a player should have and his ambition will help him establish himself as the first choice goalkeeper in the future. He has got excellent reflexes, good command of the area and his huge frame enables him to be excellent in one-on-one situations. The Polish youngster has been compared with the legendary Manchester United keeper Peter Schmeichel and though there is a long way to go for him, he has the talent to be an extremely influential figure for the Gunners in the future.

Szczesny is only 20 and at times, he does make the odd error in judgement. The Poland International's distribution (especially from kicking) has to improve and he needs to work on his game but there is enough to suggest that he can be a top level keeper in the future. He is likely to push his senior compatriot for a place in the first team and should he maintain this consistency, there is every chance that he could start games regularly for the Gunners in the near future.

Vito Mannone and James Shea

Vito Mannone had some impressive moments for the Gunners last season but has slipped down the pecking order and has grown increasingly frustrated due to the lack of opportunities. He has been loaned out to Hull City and he has been good for them. Mannone was touted for big things after his sensational performance against Fulham last season but he has not had enough opportunities to show his quality for the club.
With Szczesny and Fabianski in excellent form, it is unlikely that Mannone will have a place on the bench in important games when the Polish duo is fit. The Italian youngster could leave the club at the end of the season if he is disillusioned with his situation with the club and though Wenger believes Mannone has a future with the club, Szczesny's promotion ahead of him and his performances for the Gunners has meant that he is likely to be ahead of him.

Arsenal's reserve keeper James Shea is another talented keeper at the club but he is still considerably inexperienced. It is likely that he will be loaned out to a Championship club in order to gain more experience in the future. Shea is highly rated but if Szczesny and Fabianski improve further, then the rest of the keepers could have a tough time breaking into the squad.

Wenger's Masterstroke was his decision to not sign another Keeper

It was widely rumored that Arsenal would sign a keeper in the summer but the French tactician did not spend the money required to acquire the services of a new keeper and provided the opportunity to the four keepers to establish their place in the team. Though Almunia failed yet again, Fabianski ha been provided with a run of games and has improved considerably. He has grown in confidence and has been excellent this season.

If a new keeper was signed, it is likely that Fabianski would never have fulfilled his potential and his confidence would be further shattered. Szczesny had only one year remaining on his contract in the summer and if another keeper was signed, there was a good possibility that he would quit the club. Arsene Wenger rates the Polish duo highly and could not afford to take the risk of losing the talented keepers in the future.

At present, Fabianski and Szczesny are embroiled in healthy competition for places and though Fabianski is currently the first choice keeper, he needs to perform at a high level to avoid being dislodged by his younger compatriot. Szczesny on the other hand will get his chances in the domestic Cup ties and will be the deputy to Fabianski in other competitions. If he continues to perform like this, it will be a hard decision for Wenger to make.

Vito Mannone has performed brilliantly at times for the club but the emergence of Szczesny has limited his chances of being the first choice keeper to a great extent which is why there is a good chance he could leave at the end of the season. For a club which did not have a single keeper good enough at the start, they have two excellent keepers in Fabianski and Szczesny who will battle it out for establishing their place in the first team on a regular basis.

Arsenal Goalkeeper Debate: Wojciech Szczesny or Laukasz Fabianski as the first choice keeper?

Arsene Wenger gave a shock start to Wojciech Szczesny in the high profile encounter against Manchester United amidst a hostile crowd at Old Trafford. Lukasz Fabianski was reported to be struggling with a leg injury but was surprisingly named among the substitutes while Szczesny started the game.

Manuel Almunia was snubbed in favour of the two young Poles and though he has declared himself to be fit, it is unlikely that Arsene Wenger will open the door for him unless an unlikely scenario of injuries to both the Polish keepers occurs. But the Spaniard who wants to play regularly at his age is likely to move on to any other club considering his future with the Gunners is very questionable.

Wenger has backed Spaniard to a great extent but finally, his patience has run out after horrendous mistakes by Almunia against West Bromwich Albion cost them the three points which could yet prove decisive in the title race. Almunia has got good reflexes and is a decent shot stopper but has trouble controlling his area and his decision making has led him to make several costly errors.

Almunia's performances over the years has drawn a lot of criticism from the supporters and it is rather amazing that he has got such a long run with the Gunners. His performances for Arsenal could be summed up by one match against Barcelona at the Emirates.

In the first half, he was exceptionally good producing numerous good saves which an Arsenal supporter thought was beyond his capacity. But in the second half, he was caught in no man's land allowing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to lob it for an easy goal. He is a decent goalkeeper, but his errors have cost Arsenal a lot of points and he is surely not a goalkeeper for any of the top European teams.

Vito Mannone had a short stint within the sticks in the last season and though he did make a couple of errors, there was enough to suggest that the Italian youngster had good potential.

However, he has been frustrated due to lack of opportunities and has been sent out on loan to Hull City. His frustration is also because of the rise of Szczesny above him in the pecking order which guarantees him very less playing time.

This effectively leaves the two Polish Internationals, Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski to compete for the first team place with youngster James Shea being the third choice goalkeeper for the season. In this article, I would like to analyse which of the two goalkeepers should be the first choice keeper.

Lukasz Fabianski

Fabianski was signed from Legia Warsaw after a string of good performances for the club and looked set for a promising future at the Emirates. However, ever since the thrashing at the hands of Tottenham in the 5-1 thrashing, he has not had the same confidence although his recent performances suggest that he is close to his best form.

He had a disastrous last season where his presence in goal caused nervousness amongst the Arsenal faithful and his clangers led him to be amongst the most maligned players in the club.

However, he has shown good mental resilience to put his error-strewn last season behind and concentrate on this season. He has utilised his opportunities well and has put in some assured performances in many games like the ones against Everton, Wolverhampton and Manchester City.

Strengths:

He has got very good reflexes and is an excellent shot-stopper. His distribution has improved considerably and he is starting to provide the necessary confidence to his defence. His calmness between the sticks has provided an assured presence for Arsenal.

Weaknesses:

He is not very comfortable dealing with crosses and has proved to be suspect in the past when he has been targeted. It has been a strategy effectively used in the past by Blackburn, Stoke and Wigan and could prove a liability when faced against physical teams. Also, he does not command the defence too well and has to cope with a lot of pressure because of his errors in the past.

Wojciech Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny was allowed to train with the first team at Legia Warsaw at the age of 15, which shows the potential of the youngster. Arsenal then signed the youngster who progressed to the reserves. He did impress in the reserves before he was signed on loan by Brentford.

It is at Brentford that he caught the eye of everyone at Arsenal with Arsene Wenger going on to say that he had the quality to be the no.1 goalkeeper in the future.

Szczesny was a star performer for Brentford and the manager had glowing words for the youngster who got a standing ovation from the crowd for his performances.He did not want to go out on loan again and wanted to establish himself at Arsenal under the tutelage of Wenger. He did voice his concerns at not getting enough opportunities to prove his calibre at Arsenal, which made supporters think he might leave the club.

However, he did sign a new contract and has got some games under his belt. He has started in three games in this season. Against Newcastle United in the Carling Cup, he made one error when he came forward and missed the ball but on the whole, it was a very good performance which included a couple of impressive saves as well.He did not have much to do against Wigan.

The confident youngster has always been eager to play for the first team but even he would not have expected to make his Premier League debut against arch rivals Manchester United.

He did let in his first goal for the Arsenal first team but it was as impressive a debut as it can get. He made a world class save against Anderson from point blank range which was remarked by some commentators as "Schmeichel-ish." He was also very alert and was comfortable in handling crosses and might be just the goalkeeper that Arsenal needs at the moment.

Strengths:

His huge frame in goal allows him to cover the goal effectively and has got very good reflexes. He looks to be commanding and does not seem to be nervous on the big stage. He is comfortable dealing with crosses and does come out of his line to deal with dangerous balls into the box.

He possesses good physique,cannot be easily targeted by opposition and looks to be a good handler with the ball. He is eager to impress and has immense confidence in his abilities.

Weaknesses:

His inexperience is the biggest factor against him being the first team goalkeeper. He has not played any big games apart from the United game and could feel the pressure on big occasions. Also, a mistake might cause him to lose his nerve and could falter because of his inexperience. His distribution was not great and his kicking is slightly suspect but there does not seem to be an apparent weakness with the youngster.

Wenger's Conundrum with respect to the Keepers

Lukasz Fabianski has made a strong case this season and it would be rather unfair on him if he is dropped on the basis of Szczesny's performance against Manchester United. Fabianski has emerged a stronger man as a result of the scars inflicted on him by his errors in the last season. However, the feeling lingers that Fabianski might make a mistake which could cost them the game.

However, it might be too early to thrust Szczesny as the regular no.1 keeper as well. He has only played four matches for the first team and the general feeling with regard to goalkeepers is that they get better with maturity and Wenger will have to decide whether Szczesny is mature enough to be the no.1 keeper.

In my opinion, Szczesny should keep his place in the side for the Stoke game at the Emirates which could be a real test of his calibre. Fabianski was targeted by the Potters in the FA Cup tie and he did not have a good game.

There is a good chance that they will employ the same strategy and his previous performances could prove a mental block for Fabianski. However, Szczesny is fresh from a good performance and is eager to prove his credentials as a top-level goalkeeper. It would be a bold decision from Wenger to install Szczesny ahead of Fabianski but it would not be a bad one in my opinion.